The World: Charges of espionage against Indian journalist ‘fake’

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 08:24 am

An Indian journalist held for spying for China is innocent, his lawyer said Sunday, claiming that proof towards him was manufactured after the arrest.

Advocate Adish Aggarwal, the lawyer for Rajeev Sharma, stated the latter was taken away from his domestic on Sept. 14 however the police disclosed his arrest four days later.

Initially, no files have been recovered from him, and proof used to be planted by Delhi Police later, the lawyer alleged.

The senior journalist primarily based in the capital New Delhi was arrested for passing “sensitive information to Chinese intelligence.”

He used to be allegedly determined in possession of defence-related categorised documents, and has been booked underneath India’s Official Secrets Act. “It is now not a crime for any person to work for China.

Rajeev Sharma was once working for the Chinese newspaper Global Times. It cannot be assumed he was sending any secret archives to China in any way,” Aggarwal told Anadolu Agency.  “Rajeev Sharma’s wife has informed that no documents of any sort were located when the cops took him away.

But later the police claimed they recovered some defence-related archives from his house so that a false case should be filed.”

He argued that police have made a mistake, questioning he is involved in illegal activities.

A bail application has also been filed, which is set for a hearing on Sept. 22.

(AnadoluAgency)